The Themes of "Paper Towns"

In the book, "Paper Towns", you will come across different themes that vary from false perceptions to friendship. The following are some of the major themes in "Paper Towns".

False Perceptions

In the book, Quentin spends most of his time obsessing over Margo that he forgets about his own life. Quentin holds on to the memories him and Margo had as children, whereas Margo has long ago abandoned the friendship they had as children. After Quentin has discovered the whereabouts of Margo, she shows little concern for what everyone has gone through due to her disappearance Although Quentin will always love Margo, he realizes that he can no longer hold up his life for her. This growth stems from him overcoming his false perceptions and seeing his love in a truer light.

Identity Searching

Very few teenagers have a full understanding of their identity, and the characters in "Paper Towns" are no exception. Margo references to the idea of "strings" that hold a person together, repeatedly. The "strings" represent emotional stability and inner peace. In the beginning of the book, Quentin tells the readers about a memory in which he and Margo discover a dead body in a  park that is by their houses. While Quentin is disturbed of the discovery, Margo is quite fascinated. Margo infers that "maybe all the strings inside him broke." The memory and the idea of strings follow Quentin as the years go on. The search for one's strings represent the identity crisis both Quentin and Margo undergo. Quentin's occurs as he comes to terms with the false representation he has created of his childhood crush. When Margo's occurs, she learns to stop fleeing responsibility and loses Quentin as the realization comes too late.

Friendship

Quentin eventually realizes that his friendships with Ben, Radar, and Lacey are more fulfilling to him than a relationship with Margo. As Quentin discovers himself and Margo in a realistic light, he begins to prioritize the individuals in his life that have shown genuine care for him. Lacey, who was once Margo's best friend, criticizes Margo for her lack of regard for her supposed "friend's" feelings. Once timid and complacent, Lacey grows more comfortable with expressing her opinions to those who truly care to listen. While Quentin's friendship with Ben and Radar were once overshadowed by his love for Margo, he learns to appreciate them and recognize their loyalty to him.

Admiration

In "Paper Towns", Margo isn't quite a celebrity, but everyone in school treats her as though she's a goddess among them. Margo is of two minds about this: she clearly likes the attention because she keeps doing things to keep the attention coming, but she also isn't able to make normal connections with the masses. This makes her not just out of touch with other people, but also out of touch with herself.

Dissatisfaction

After you've read "Paper Towns" many times, watched the movie many times, and looked up information about it, you might be bored. Maybe even a little dissatisfied with life. Now you know how Quentin feels after Margo disappears from their town. So what's a boy or girl supposed to do? You could obsess over Margo. Who is she? Where is she? Why is she? Or you could do something. Organize a road trip, even if it's just to find out where Margo went. You might have quite the adventure along the way.

Text-to-World

The themes, shown above, of "Paper Towns" have a connection to the world because most teenagers nowadays admire someone, are dissatisfied with something in their life, have difficult friendships, are searching for their true identity, and have a false understanding of something in their life.

A photo of a map with a quote by the author of "Paper Towns".

 

 

The Plot of "Paper Towns"

Rising Action

As Quentin and his friends try to finish their senior year of high school, they begin to gather clues that they believe Margo has left for them. One of the important clues is a poem they found in her room by Walt Whitman. The clues lead him to an abandoned mini mall where Quentin thinks Margo has been spending time at recently. The mini mall has what he believes are clues to Margo's whereabouts. Quentin convinces himself to believe that Margo has committed suicide and wants him to find her.

Climax

The climax of the novel is when Quentin finally discovers that the map of New York lines up with the pin holes that he found on the wall in the abandoned mini mall. One of the points specifically lines up with Algoe, New York. Quentin and his friend do some research on Algoe on "Omnictioary" and they discover that someone has posted that the population of Algoe "Will actually be One until may 29th at Noon." This post alerts Quentin because he only knows one person who capitalizes words in the middle of sentences, Margo. On May 29th, also being the day of graduation, Quentin and his friends set off on a journey to find Margo.

Falling Action

Quentin, Ben, Radar, and Lacey all decide to skip their high school graduation to take a 19 hour road trip to find Margo in Algoe. They have 24 hours to find her and they experience many bumps along the road, including a near death experience. They finally arrive in Algoe and discover Margo in yet another abandoned building. They discover that Margo isn't the same person they all thought they knew.

Resolution

When the group of friends finally find Margo, she is furious that they went to find her. However, the group of friends is also upset that she is not the Margo they knew before she disappeared. They come to the conclusion that they don't need to be who everyone wants them to be. They are all now graduated from high school and they can choose any direction in life that they want. Margo will decide to travel and will no longer be the fake, "paper girl" she was in Orlando. The novel ends with Margo and Quentin kissing, but both characters realize that their relationship will never be anything more than friends.

Text to World

The plot of "Paper Towns" has a connection to the real world because some times, a guy will do whatever he could to be able to be closer or to have the girl he has fallen in love with.

 



Get to know the Characters of "Paper Towns"

Major Characters

Protagonist:

Quentin Jacobsen, or "Q", is the narrator of this book. Secretly, Quentin has been secretly in love with his neighbor, Margo, since they were young. As the school years went on, they grew apart and they separated into different social groups. Quentin is a nerdy guy who hang out with the band geeks. The night Margo asks for Quentin's help, he is willing to help because he has always idolized her. When Margo mysteriously disappears the next day, Quentin is heartbroken and feels like he is the only person who actually cares about her well being. He always has thoughts about her and tries to use the secret clues to find out where Margo is.

Antagonist:

Margo Roth Spiegelman isn't the "villain" of the story, but she is in the center of conflict of this story. Margo was the most popular girl at school, she's obviously gorgeous, and has a popular jock boyfriend, Jase. She describes herself as a "paper girl". She doesn't correct people on the fact that she is actually quite a mysterious person. Margo is a very adventurous person, which is a trait she doesn't hide from people. So, it is no surprise when he disappears after the eventful night with Quentin.


Minor Characters

Ben Starling:

Ben is one of Quentin's best friends, and he is a band nerd. He acts like a ladies man, when has actually never been in a relationship with anyone before. During the course of the book, Ben develops a relationship with Lacey. Ben also helps Quentin in the search of Margo.

Radar:

Radar is another of Quentin's best friends. Radar is also a band nerd, but he is extremely tech savvy. He is an editor for a Wikipedia type of website named "Omnictionary". He also helps during the search of Margo.

Lacey Pamberton:

Lacey is or was Margo's best friend before she disappeared. Besides Quentin, Lacey is concerned about where Margo is.  She develops a relationship with Ben after they attend prom together. She tags along with the boys during the search of finding out where Margo is.

The actors that play Margo and Quentin.

 

 

Text to World:

 

The characters of "Paper Towns" have a connection to the world because sometimes, a girl will cause trouble to guys or even to her friends.